Category: Republicans

In June of 2016, Donald Trump Jr. met with a Russian lawyer and possibly a Russian spy to try and get dirt on Hillary Clinton.

While this seems obviously sketchy and possibly illegal, not everyone seems to know why this is wrong. Don Jr. and Donald Sr. seem to think this was standard practice and Sean Spicer is still coming down from whatever pain killers he took to make it through another day to answer honestly.

Since Don Jr. appears to have so much trouble discerning right from wrong, I thought I could look at his foibles through the lens of something he could understand. Something that he’s probably familiar with from still having bunk beds with Eric.

Disney movies.

As we open this tale, we head to the plains of Africa where we find Scar and his whispy, thinning mane lounging around Scar Rock with his much younger lionesses while admiring his crumbling kingdom. The massive budget cuts he put in place have sparked a famine and his refusal to acknowledge climate change has brought extreme drought to the savannah.

As the Scar Administration continues to try and ban leopards and giraffes from entering their land, suspicion among the pride grows that Scar and the hyenas may have colluded to oust Mufasa and Simba.

It had longed seemed strange to the pride that from the day he arrived and blinking, stepped into the sun, Scar has praised the Shadowland and expressed admiration for the hyena’s strong leadership and defense of the elephant grave yard.

In addition, patterns have started to emerge between the movements of the hyenas and those of the wildebeest on the day of the stampede. Scar refuses to denounce any hyena other than Ed and appears unconcerned with their increased hunting of the lions prey.

As news leaks out that Mufasa actually fell while trying to escape the hyena induced stampede, Scar mocks him for having a “weak grip” and despite the fact that there is more to be seen than can ever be seen and more to do than can ever be done, he keeps regularly sending flocks of birds to remind everyone that Nala and Rafiki once ran into each other on a hunting trip and who knows what they may have been conspiring to do.

Not to mention, maybe if Simba hadn’t been strutting around singing about how he was going to be king, Mufasa may have done something about the hyena’s plot.

Eventually the elephant herd and Bob “The Trunk” Mueller start combing through the outtakes to see if any further scenes yet revealed to the audience exist. As they work they realize there’s far too much to take in here, more to find than can ever be found, but one day, with the sun rolling high through the sapphire sky, they find a deleted scene where Scar’s eldest son, Scar Jr. makes contact with the hyenas.

In the previously deleted scene he is lounging around Scar Oasis when noted hyena sympathizer Zazutskaya comes flying in with a message from the Shadowland. The hyenas want to meet. They know of a sure-fire way to make certain Simba doesn’t become king of Pride Rock and they want to run it by him before bringing it to Scar.

Oh, and if anyone asks, this meeting is to discuss “zebra access” due to the lion’s restrictions on the hyena’s hunting grounds.

Zazutskaya returns to the Shadowland to share Scar Jr.’s exuberance at the idea the hyenas could help stop Simba from becoming king and instead put Scar in power.

While the remaining scenes haven’t been found, the audience knows that the hyena’s ended up carrying out the plot that killed Mufasa, exiled Simba, and put Scar in charge.

Oh… and Scar knew about the entire thing all along.

Now, Don Jr., I realize that it still may be a little hard to understand how what Scar Jr. did was kind of wrong and lead to the ruin of his pride – and downfall of his father – but I’m sure Eric could explain it to you in terms you can understand.

Picture credit: Disney

Donald Trump got what he wanted. Thanks to a media that covers politics with the same objective analysis as the sports section during a playoff run, everyone across the country heard the narrative that the most important thing that happened in Washington this week was that the Republicans “got a win.”

No, that mass of mental midgets did not get a “win.” What they did was display horrifying neglect of duty in rushing to pass a bill that would do irreparable harm to millions and millions of people across the country.

What the stampede of simpletons in the lower chamber did this week flies in the face of everything I have ever believed about what elected leaders are supposed to do. Beyond just the merits of the legislation, the callousness and recklessness with which they rushed through legislation would up-end 1/6 of our economy was outrageous, egregious and preposterous.

And the best – I shouldn’t say “best” because there is nothing good here – part is that the people who will be hurt worst by this abomination are the very people who elected this cohort of clowns. The bill allows states to seek waivers to no longer protect those with pre-existing conditions. You know who won’t seek those waivers? Democratic governors who don’t want to see their people suffer. You know who will? Republican governors like Scott Walker who already said he’d probably use it (Hey Paul Ryan, guess what state that is).

Call me a smug liberal if you want, but I’m smart enough not to vote for someone who campaigns on taking away a benefit that I rely on.

As the horde of hee-haws were pushing yay at their desks, staff were carting palates of Bud Light covered in black tarps through the Capitol. But they couldn’t even do that right as the genius they tasked with this mission left one corner uncovered for all the world to spy the signature blue and white box of “Up for Whatever.” Symbolism.

Though let’s be fair. The beer, I’m sure, was to celebrate granting insurance to millions for the first time. Or maybe it was that those born with ailments could finally get coverage. Or maybe it was their provision to ban life-time limits and out of pocket expenses for people that suffer catastrophic injuries. Or maybe it was confirming their belief that the character of this country is defined by the fact that no one should go bankrupt because of an illness or injury.

Oh shit, sorry, those are all the things in the Affordable Care Act they’re trying to end. Silly me.

As Dan Pfeiffer said on “Pod Save America” his week, if Republicans came out and made a case that they want to return the healthcare industry to the free market and that government has no place directing a private marketplace, then at least they would be making an intellectually honest argument about why they’re doing this.

Instead, this legion of liars are blanketing the talk shows spreading some of the most bald faced “alternative facts” I’ve ever witnessed in politics.

Kevin McCarthy talked of expanding coverage despite a CBO score on a similar bill that says 24 million fewer people would have coverage. Paul Ryan’s communications director said this bill had been scored twice, despite the fact that the previous two scores were for entirely different bills. This is like saying your car is doesn’t need the state inspection because you had the emissions tested 2 years ago.

And finally, Cathy McMorris-Rodgers wrote an op-ed about how her son’s pre-existing condition led her to vote for this bill. But given that this bill weakens protections for people like him, there must be something she knows that we don’t.

Picture credit: Twitter

There is a book that Donald Trump has not read. Yes, I know that could be literally any book, but the one I have in mind is called The Showdown at Gucci Gulch. It is the riveting story of how the last major tax reform was passed in 1986.

The 30 second summary is this: House Ways and Means Chairman Dan Rostenkowski, Senators Bill Bradley and Bob Packwood, White House Chief of Staff / Treasury Secretary James Baker worked together for years hammering out every detail of every aspect of tax reform. They debated how and if to keep it revenue neutral, how to simplify it, and how to spread the benefits.

By contrast, the Trump Administration talks about overhauling major aspects of the American economy like they are launching a menu item at McDonalds. “Healthcare reform will happen his week.” “Tax reform will be released on Wednesday.”

I almost forgive Trump for this naiveté. He is new to governing, has surrounded himself with no one of any expertise, and is generally not very bright. But Paul Ryan on the other hand – who used to hold the same title as Rep. Rostenkowski – should know better.

He not only crafted a bill that couldn’t crack 20% approval, but secured no outside support, made no efforts to secure votes, and gave the world’s worst PowerPoint infomercial on national television. He had 7 years (that is over 2500 days for those of you keeping track) to craft a replacement to that evil, sinister, job killing Obamacare and instead he basically put the letters “H.R.” in front of a turd and gave it to the House clerk.

Then as if he didn’t learn his lesson, he was back at it this week saying that the GOP has spent a whole four weeks writing an even worse version of their original dumpster fire. Once again, every major national health organization is opposed, no senators have been briefed, and the president is unable to articulate any provisions beyond “it’s very good and very well liked.”

While all of this is going on, Ryan somehow thought it was also a good idea to allow the White House to release an outline of a major tax reform proposal that differs in key ways from the plan Ryan has been salivating over for his entire life. Not to mention how it will make Republicans want to hide those debt clocks they were so fond of under Obama.

Despite being billed as the most powerful city on earth, Washington actually has very little bandwidth for more than one major undertaking at any given time. Major legislation takes up a ton of energy. The research, the hearings, the lobbying efforts, the scoring and analysis. It is a dance that has all the kinetic energy of an anthill and the organized chaos of a kayak race in a hurricane.

When the Republicans secured both houses of Congress and the White House, most Democrats began digging graves for all their priorities. The rich were about to get tax cuts, the ACA was on its way to the gallows, and social progress was shifting out of drive. Thankfully, Republicans have chose to govern like a puppy in a dog park that doesn’t know which tennis ball to chase. So for now, it looks like most liberal accomplishments are safer than we thought.

Back in 1986, Republicans were able to secure major victories like lower top rates in the final tax package despite Democratic control of the House. They did this through painstaking negotiating, intense cooperation between the Treasury and Congressional leaders, and careful consideration of major stakeholders concerns.

Don’t be fooled by the rhetoric and the reviews. Donald Trump said absolutely nothing in his first speech to Congress last night. Sure, he spoke 57 minutes worth of words – largely on script – but those words told us basically nothing that we didn’t already know.

Republicans across the board are lauding him for his “presidential” performance. Marc Thiessen of the Washington Post said it was the best speech he has even seen – and he helped write two – but what exactly is he basing that off of? Donald Trump read from a teleprompter for an hour straight without leading a “lock her up” chant and only inserted a few extra superlatives and suddenly he’s the oratorical love child of Reagan and Obama?

Reading a prepared speech without spontaneously combusting is hardly an indication of presidential perfection. In fact, it was the minimum requirement for getting at least a B in my 5th grade oral presentation project.

Look at what else the Republicans are congratulating him for, like the standing ovation for a Navy SEAL’s widow. That was an incredibly touching and heartbreaking moment. But let’s not pretend that happened in a vacuum. Since Ryan Owen’s death during a raid in Yemen, Trump has blamed Obama, “the generals”, other Navy Seals, bad intelligence, and the Ghost of Christmas Past for his death. Less than 24 hours prior to his speech in an interview he deferred responsibility and said “they lost him” as if the Navy SEALs were responsible.

That is despicable behavior for a Commander in Chief of the military.

The ovation Mrs. Owens received was representative of how everyone in this country should treat families of the fallen, but don’t be mistaken in thinking that Louie Gohmert wasn’t voraciously clapping in part to help drown out Trump’s botching of that entire episode.

Style points aside, was there any substance to praise Trump on? I’m glad you asked. In setting up his agenda, he started by highlighting every Breitbart statistic on the Obama Administration and then proceeded to paint the world’s rosiest pic of his agenda. Are you ready for this?

He wants to increase and preserve world peace. He also wants to raise military spending by $54 billion and “start winning wars.”

He wants to pass a $1 trillion infrastructure package. He also wants massive tax breaks for “the middle class.”

He wants to welcome all legal immigrants of all kinds. He also wants a merit based immigration system where we only admit high wage, high skill folks from countries we like.

He wants clean air, safe water, and environmental preservation. He also says for every new regulation, you must repeal two.

He wants a juicy steak, but it must also be well done. Certain things in life are just not possible.

Republicans won’t pass a program that assists blind, wheelchair bound grandmothers get groceries without a pay-for, so does Trump really think they’ll drop $1 trillion AND cut the tax base further? How are you going to improve world peace while “winning wars” at the same time?

My brain is in more knots than a rope at Boy Scout camp trying to figure this one out.

And finally, let’s not forget… Trump boldly claimed that he was going to create “millions of new jobs” and bring dying industries “roaring back.” While I wish him every bit of luck in improving the lives of people in the forgotten regions of this country, that is an outrageously bold claim in a world where there are more solar energy jobs than coal mining jobs and robots (not trade) are permanently ending manufacturing jobs.

All during the campaign, half of the media would scream “Trump turned a corner!” each time he gave a speech without offending another country, and the half would mutter “you idiots, just wait a week.” The latter proved to be correct more times than not.

The Donald as president is no different. So what that he read from a teleprompter and said he supported a strong America. Every policy prescription was vague, if not contradictory, and most were dead on arrival even with Republican majorities in Congress.

This is still the same Trump who signed the Muslim ban, made a moral equivalency argument between the US and Russia, and called a major news network “FAKE NEWS” every chance he got. For those who think Trump became a new man yesterday, please come talk to me next time he tweets a conspiracy theory at 7 am.

Somewhere in the White House sits a giant sheet of posterboard with “CAMPAIGN PROMISES” scribbled across the top. Each morning I imagine Donald Trump wakes up, looks at it like it’s the queen’s mirror from Snow White and thinks, “which of you suckers can I check off today? Muslim ban. Check. The Wall. Check. Repeal Obamacare and expand the military. Check and check.”

As time goes on and this list dwindles, Trump will undoubtedly see himself as the pinnacle of a successful president. He’ll tell his supporters that unlike a normal politician, he actually delivered on his promises. But is that really a good thing for him? Does turning every campaign gaffe into national policy make for a successful leader?

There is a reason that political leaders don’t come in to office and rush to complete their entire agenda in the first 100 days. Two words: political capital.

Political capital is the nerd equivalent of swag. It is the length of the leash, the slack in a bungee cord, the gravitational pull of public opinion.

During the honeymoon phase of an administration, a new president has a lot of political capital, but it can be a fleeting beast. Back in 2009, President Obama was riding high, he had an approval rating in the high 50’s and majorities in both halls of Congress. He had campaigned on two big ideas – healthcare and immigration reform. But armed with staff of political veterans – including David Axelrod, Jim Messina, and Pete Rouse – Obama knew that only enough capital existed for one of those two achievements.

Immigration reform had actually been a possibility under Bush, but never made it across the finish line, so the calculation was made that it could wait. Instead, Obama pushed for the Affordable Care Act. Republican opposition was fierce, and less than a year later, Obama had lost his House majority from which he would never recover.

In a recent interview on the podcast “Keepin’ It 1600” Obama talked about how many freshman House members went out on a limb for him, voted for the ACA, and then lost their seats. That is what political capital can do for you.

Trump should be wise to heed this lesson, though the path he is on will be like death by a thousand cuts rather than the scorched earth bombing Obama experienced.

The first few weeks of the Trump Administration have been marked by constant controversy to the point it feels like we have been under his leadership for years already – with the gray hair to prove it. All during the transition, Republican leaders still stood by his side, defending him when they could and simply staying silent when he really went beyond the pale.

This type of honeymoon will last for a bit, but if Trump’s approval numbers continue to submarine, his staff continue to play fast and loose with ethics rules, and the economy doesn’t take off, lawmakers will flee him in droves.

You’re starting to see it already. This past weekend John McCain, who jumped right under the covers with Trump during the campaign despite being mocked by him, went to Germany and gave a speech absolutely obliterating Trump’s worldview. Members of the same party don’t do this unless something is serious amiss.

McCain’s foray into resistance won’t be the last. Trump currently is governing by executive power (yes, I know it is early) and doesn’t appear particularly engaged in Congress. This is another way to deplete his political capital regardless of scandal.

One of Democrat’s biggest complaints about President Obama was that he never engaged Congress when pursuing new agenda items, a philosophy epitomized by his 2014 declaration that he can get things done with the use of “a pen and a phone.” As a result, when he did come calling, they were less willing to engage and be helpful. Back in their districts, they were hearing disdain with his policies, but they felt powerless to shape them. This feeling led to resentment less willingness to cooperate.

Trump ought to be a student of history and heed this lesson. If he continues to try and push major – and unpopular – agenda items via Executive Order he will find himself on an island politically.

He will not only see his agenda flounder – caveat… if he has one – but he may see himself more vulnerable to investigations by Congress.

Right now, there is plenty that should warrant a congressional investigation of Trump’s activities. Remember, the Republicans held 8 separate investigations of Benghazi at a cost of over $7 million dollars all in order to expose Hillary Clinton’s emails and weaken her, so don’t underestimate how powerful they can be when they want to.

If Republicans in the Senate are the canaries, Republicans in the House are the miners. We’ve already seen a handful of Senators including Chuck Grassley, Lindsey Graham, John McCain and others ask for investigations into the Russian / Trump contacts, but so far Jason “Profiles in Courage” Chaffetz has held his tongue.

Chaffetz will continue to search for his spine as long as Trump’s political capital remains at acceptable levels. But, if he starts losing the support of Republicans and swing state Republicans start to appear vulnerable, Chaffetz will eventually find a reason to care about Russian interference.

Trump’s personality is part of the problem because everyone knows it isn’t in his nature to back down. But if his political capital were poker chips, he’d be in danger of going out just by anteing up. If I were advising Trump, I’d tell him to back off the immigration orders and ACA repeal and instead start floating options for infrastructure projects. He can do those things if he wants, but he should build good will with Democrats first instead of rallying their base to the point so that bipartisanship is impossible.

Obama lost all his political capital upending the healthcare system, what makes Trump think that his story will end any differently? In addition, Trump didn’t win the election because of hard-line Breitbart readers who want to end Islam. He won because blue-collar voters in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania couldn’t stand to hear “Fight Song” even more goddamn time.

Trump’s presidency may be listing, but it doesn’t have to sink. If he focuses on rebuilding ties with Republicans in the Senate, proposes legislation that does not automatically trigger the gag reflex of 60% of the country, and stops attacking judges and writers, he could slowly rebuild his dwindling pile of chips.

Four years is a long time, and members of Congress have the power to make that time as productive or ineffective as they want for a president. If Trump is popular, they’ll work with him, but Mar-a-Lago turns into a slush fund, protests continue to stall traffic in Lexington, and lawsuits start piling up, Trump will be reduced to nothing more than a another guy yelling at a television in a bathrobe.

Picture credit: Zazzle.com

Republican members of Congress love to cite President Obama’s unenforced “red line” over chemical weapons use in Syria as the moment the world went to hell. They argue that the non-reaction to the discovery of mustard gas led to Bashar Al-Assad committing further atrocities, to Vladimir Putin seizing Crimea and meddling in Eastern European political processes, and to Saudi Arabia and Iran carrying out a proxy war in Yemen.

As with all geo-political messes, its hard to nail down causation, but it certainly isn’t out of the question that the United States’ hesitancy to act after threatening to may have incentivized further international transgressions. For Republicans, the lesson to be learned is closer to home than they may think.

Just as Vladimir Putin may have viewed US inaction in Syria as an invitation to push further into Ukraine, President-elect Donald Trump has viewed Republican cowardice as a green light continue to bypass norms, rules, and common decency. He has seen more red line inaction than a Metro rider during rush hour.

Barely a month after declaring his run for president, Trump insulted former POW John McCain and declared that he liked people “who weren’t captured.” Republican leaders were aghast in incredulity for about 72 hours. Trump continued on.

In December, 2015, Trump called for a blanket ban on Muslim immigration to the United States. Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio, and others said he was tearing at the moral fabric of the United States and making Betsy Ross roll over in her grave. Trump rolled on.

In July, 2016, Khizr Khan stood before the country on national tv, shared his grief like only a son-less father could with the world, and asked if Donald Trump would have represented his son, a muslim American soldier, as he would any other young man. Trump responded by insulting Khan’s wife and their faith. Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell sided with Khan. Trump marched on.

In October, 2016, a video surfaced of a 59 year-old Trump insinuating that he had committed sexual assault. Mike Pence cancelled his upcoming campaign schedule and many Republicans fantasized about a new ticket. Trump called it locker it room talk and Republicans slinked back. Trump soldiered on.

After each of these events, a small chorus of Republican leaders stuck their necks out and proclaimed Trump’s actions to be wrong. He was called unacceptable, unpresidential, and unfit. But each time, as the news cycle returned to Hillary Clinton’s emails, those Republican leaders crawled back on board the Trump train.

The red line has been drawn and erased, re-drawn and re-erased. It is as durable a sand castle during high tide.

During the campaign the consequences to this cowardice were minimal. The news cycle moved quicker than a strobe light at an Avicii concert and real accountability was on par with a time-out session at an elementary school slumber party.

But now that Trump is about to become president and will have the awesome power of his signature, the consequences could be catastrophic. The daily unintelligent briefing that he shares with us via Twitter shows his willingness to train his ire on the press and political opponents, two groups that are supposed to be protected by our founding documents.

What happens when Trump calls for an investigation of a paper that reports on a scandal of his? Will Republican leaders stand up then?

What happens when Trump asks Attorney General Sessions to investigate Democratic governors or to ignore illegal voting restrictions? Will Republican leaders step forward in defense?

Republicans have made hay out of President Obama’s refusal to enforce an international threat and lamented the chaos that became of it. After nearly 18 months of standing up to Donald Trump, only to sit back down, they would be wise to adopt their own lesson.

The confirmation this last week that the Russian government used an invisible hand to sway our elections presented a remarkable choice for Republican leaders, one that separated true patriots from political shills.

On one hand there are the true hacks like Kellyanne Conway who called the CIA report “laughable” because her personal short term gain is greater than the national interest.

There are patriots like John McCain and Lindsey Graham who put out a statement with Chuck Schumer calling for a full congressional investigation of who, what, when, why, and how the Russians meddled this past fall. They recognize the terrifying precedent that it sets if the United States of America is willing to stand idly by and discount our own intelligence agencies while another government plays puppet master with out elecorate.

Then there is a third group: the cowards. This breed of Republican sides with neither the CIA nor Russia (hrmm, who to choose…) but instead choose to distract, distort, and deny.

The epitome of this true profile in courage is none other than Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. He is a political novice, a moral lightweight, and a kitten in the age of lions.

Ryan would rather accept the short term benefit of power than acknowledge the awesome implications that another soverign power had its thumb on the scales of our electoral process.

Russia, the country we had a decades long Cold War against; the country who Aldrich Ames, Robert Hanssen, and others were caught spying for; the country we fought proxy wars against in Afghanistan and now Syria. That Russia just waged an active campaign to delegitimize the central institution of our representative democracy and some Republicans would rather stay silent to appease a man who doesn’t recognize that coating everything in gold is tacky than stand up for our Constitution.

In response to the Washington Post story detailing the Intelligence Community’s assessment of Russia’s actions, President-Elect Trump attacked not Russia, but the CIA. As Saturday Night Live so perfectly satirized (is it satire if it’s true?) the president-elect is more willing to give the benefit of the doubt to Vladimir Putin than our own intelligence officers.

In the face of that, Speaker Ryan–who also receives intelligence briefings–refused to call for an investigation and instead said that the issue “shouldn’t become polarized.” Good thing we have a brave and principled speaker who is willing to stand up to those pesky… Democrats.

What Ryan should not only know, but be saying out loud, is that American intelligence services do not serve a political party. The are unequivocally non-partisan and work solely in the interests of the United States of America. The CIA has an estimated workforce of over 20,000 people, of whom only a small handful are politically appointed. They do not tailor assessments to fit a agenda or confirm a narrative. Their job is collect facts, analyze, asses, and report. Nothing more, nothing less.

That Trump would not only ignore their conclusion, but say that they are failure of an organization is devastating to their mission.

We all know that Trump does not live in a world based in reality. He lies the way most people breath. In response to this lying we’ve watched “leaders” like Ryan regress into a creature with his tail permanently tucked between his legs.

For example last week when Ryan was asked by Scott Pelley about Trump’s claim that “millions voted illegally” for Hillary Clinton, he simply said he “wasn’t focused on those things” and “didn’t have a way to know” if what Trump said was true. Ryan chose to continue to cast doubt on the solvency our democracy rather than say “Yeah, that was a ludicrous tweet.”

Where does this end?

People often ‘joked’ during the campaign that Trump represented a threat to our democracy – a claim more accurately described as hyperbole than legitimate during the campaign. But now, as Trump has dabbled in conspiracy theories about illegal voting and decided to side with the Kremlin over Langley, it doesn’t feel so hyperbolic.

In the weeks since the election we’ve seen Trump start by calling the President of Taiwan, then criticize China for stealing a drone, and then again criticize China for giving it back. He has remained silent as North Carolina Republicans stripped an incoming Democratic administration of power. He used his bully pulpit to temporarily crush the stock prices of companies who have rubbed him the wrong way.

Any one of things would be a presidential scandal and Trump is still weeks away from the oath.

Now more than ever we need leaders who have spines made of lead and are able to separate the politically expedient from the democratically disastrous. Every leader will have their sheep and if he continues to silently go along, Paul Ryan is going to be first of many to be sheared.